Nuclear plants can get permits faster with fewer public hearings.
H.R. 9658 — Nuclear Regulatory Modernization Act of 2026 · Filed by Victoria Spartz (R-IN) · 1 cosponsor · Introduced Jul 13, 2026 · Referred to committee
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What it does
This bill changes how the Nuclear Regulatory Commission approves nuclear power plants. The NRC can now issue permits without a public hearing if no one asks for one. Companies can start building uranium enrichment plants before they get final sign-off from the NRC. The bill keeps the ban on Russian uranium imports.
Who it affects
Nuclear power companies and uranium enrichment companies can build faster. People who live near nuclear plants have fewer chances to speak at public hearings about risks. The public can still ask for a hearing, but hearings are no longer required.
One thing to notice
Public hearings used to be required for all nuclear permits. Now they only happen if someone asks for one.
From the analysis of the bill text, linked under Primary records below.
Where it stands
1 cosponsor: 1 Republicans.
- Jul 13, 2026 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
- Jul 13, 2026 — Referred to House Committee on Energy and Commerce · Congress.gov: “Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce”
Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.
Words to know
- Nuclear Regulatory Commission — The government agency that approves and watches over nuclear power plants.
- permits — Official approval to build or run something.
- uranium enrichment plants — Factories that process uranium to make it work for nuclear power.
- public hearing — A meeting where people can speak and ask questions about a government decision.
How this was measured
Analysis — Quorum's AI read the bill text published by Congress.gov (3,883 characters) on Aug 12, 2026. Section numbers in the findings refer to that text, linked below; transparency and hidden-provision scores are compared against the median of 14,206 analysed bills.
Status and sponsors — Congress.gov's bill record — actions, committee referrals and cosponsors — loaded nightly. The timeline shows status changes, not every procedural action.
As of — page rendered 2026-09-17.
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